The best & worst girl scout cookies

Every year I look forward to the Girl Scouts’ annual cookie sale (um, who doesn’t?!). This year’s sale is more controversial than most, with some people banning the treats in opposition to the organization’s acceptance of a transgendered member, while others are buying more boxes to show their support. I like supporting Girl Scouts and their activities, but, honestly, I think my excitement really stems from the fact that this is the only time of year I can buy these cookies.

The dietitian and nutrition editor in me kicks in about the time I sit down to fill out the order sheet: does my teeny-tiny family of two really need that many boxes of cookies? Um, no! And which cookies are the healthiest in terms of calories, fat, sugar and ingredients? (Some varieties still contain trans fats.)

This cookie won the title of healthiest for a few reasons: per cookie, the calories are pretty low. One serving also delivers the least amount of total fat and sugar. There are only 10 ingredients in the ingredient list—and sugar appears a mere two times.

Compared to the others, Caramel deLites deliver the most saturated fat (one serving is 30 percent of your daily value) and although it’s labeled as containing 0 grams of trans fat, the ingredient list includes partially hydrogenated oil. (There’s a loophole in labeling laws: if a serving delivers less than 0.5 gram of trans fat, it can be labeled as containing 0 grams of trans fat, which is why you need to check the ingredient list for the phrase “partially hydrogenated [insert name, such as palm or coconut] oil") Caramel deLites also have the most sugar of all the cookies—in fact, sugar is the first ingredient (most of the others list flour first).

Samoas are available in some regions in place of Caramel deLites. Though Samoas are the lowest of all the cookies when it comes to sodium, they also list sugar as the first ingredient (in fact, sugar is listed a total of seven times in the ingredient list, which is the most of any Girl Scout cookie). They also contain partially hydrogenated oil.

This cookie was a close second to being the healthiest choice. Per cookie, it has 2 fewer calories and 0.5 gram less saturated fat, but significantly more sugar (and four types of sugar are listed in the ingredient list) than Shortbread and a tiny bit more total fat.

Brierley's interest in nutrition and food come together in her position as nutrition editor at EatingWell. Brierley holds a master’s degree in Nutrition Communication from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. A Registered Dietitian, she completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Vermont.